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Partner platforms

A COMMITMENT TO COLLABORATIVE STRUCTURES FOR THE FUTURE OF ITS SECTORS

The Avril Group is investing in futuristic projects designed to add value to French oilseed and protein crops. Because of Avril’s business model – which was initially driven by farmers – the Group’s values have always encouraged it to favor positive consequences that will serve the general interests of both farmers and society. According to this principle of collaboration and exchanges, research is carried out in the context of mutualized innovation platforms where Avril combines its skills and multidisciplinary efforts with those of public research, universities, technical centers, national institutes or other industrial firms (start-ups, SME, major groups, etc.).

PROTEINES FRANCE : a consortium to make France a global leader in proteins

Protéines France provides a catalyst for development of the vegetable protein sector and new resources in France. The consortium aims to create value throughout the country by mobilizing all actors according to shared growth areas.

Protéines France focuses in particular on:

Structuring the French sector and initiating a federative dynamic throughout the value chain in order to develop the protein sector,

Facilitating public support for, and the implementation of, projects in agriculture, industry and R&D,

Facilitating investment in industrial assets that will contribute to the creation of jobs and value in different French regions,

Encouraging the creation and growth of start-ups that might rapidly develop innovations linked to the sector,

Providing support for communication and information on the marketing of innovative products.

IMPROVE : tools for vegetable proteins

IMPROVE (Mutualized Institute for Plant-based Proteins, or Institut Mutualisé pour les PROtéines VEgétales) is the first platform in Europe to be wholly dedicated to valorizing vegetable proteins. Launched in 2013 and based in Dury (80), it associates industrial firms, institutions and research centers in efforts to acquire knowledge of the properties of protein components and their extraction, so as to design and develop vegetable protein-based products for a wide variety of markets such as:

Human foods and livestock feeds,

Biomaterials,

Cosmetics,

Renewable chemistry.

By federating knowledge and resources, IMPROVE can accelerate innovation and the marketing of these new products.

This platform is Avril’s preferred center for research on vegetable proteins. An initial program is focusing on the development of new techniques for the extraction of proteins from oilseed meals, a by-product of grain crushing. The aim is to extract proteins with high nutritional value for foods and feeds.

IMPROVE benefits from the support of a group of industrial companies, and from the French government through its Investments for the Future program; it has entrusted operation of this project to the Caisse des Dépôts. The Picardie Regional Council has also contributed financially to this technology center.

P.I.V.E.R.T: the plant biorefinery of the future

The mission of the P.I.V.E.R.T (Picardie Innovations Végétales, Enseignements et Recherches Technologiques, or Picardy Plant-based Innovations, Teaching and Technological Research) Institute for Energy Transition (ITE), which opened in 2012, is to develop plant chemistry using oilseed biomass. Based in Venette (60) in Picardie, it gathers the worlds of research and industry in order to build a competitive national sector and offer new markets for French producers. Its purpose is to create oilseed biorefining for the future that will use the whole plant –using eco-processes – to obtain products for human foods and animal feeds, renewable chemistry and renewable energy. This initiative is central to our sustainable development policy as it groups different skills in plant production, technological processes and chemistry within the same geographical area. Structuring the design of biorefining aims to create a true industrial ecosystem in which the by-products of certain activities will serve as starting materials for others, with the recycling of energy, water and waste. The P.I.V.E.R.T. ITE receives contributions from its academic and industrial partners, support from the Investments for the Future program (managed by the National Research Agency), and financial participation from the Picardie Regional Council and the Compiègne Region Conurbation.

Abera

Specialised in slaughtering and cutting up pigs, Abera provides quality service and "tailor-made" products to wholesalers and industrial pork butchers within and outside France. Thanks to its 800 partner livestock farmers and modern, efficient facilities, Abera has been one of France's top ten pork abattoirs for more than 20 years.

Expur

Established in Romania, Expur collects rapeseeds and sunflower seeds and transforms them into edible oil for human nutrition, oilseed meal for animal nutrition, and biodiesel. Expur also packages its table oils and sells them under its own or distributor brands.

Lesieur

Matines

Matines is the number 1 egg brand in France. Created in 1985, the Matines brand has become the most recognised and popular egg brand in the country, and leads the egg market thanks to numerous original initiatives that have marked the history of egg production: free-range eggs, Label Rouge, organic products, etc.

MiXscience

An innovative company with expertise in nutrition and animal products, MiXscience provides its customers – companies in French and international animal production sectors – with a wide range of products and services: sector organisation consultancy, zootechnical and nutrition expertise, premix production, industrial expertise in animal nutrition, and the design of nutritional and mineral solutions.

Lesieur Cristal

Oleon

Oleon designs and produces molecules and ingredients from vegetable oils and animal fats, which are marketed to numerous industries (pharmaceutical, chemistry, food-processing, energy, detergents, public building works, etc.) as renewable solutions that combine technological performances, respect for people and the preservation of the environment.

Ovipac

Specialising in the creation of ready-to-use egg products, Ovipac offers a whole range of fresh, dry and frozen ovoproducts designed for foodservices (commercial catering, collective catering and bakers/pastry-makers).

Saipol

Saipol produces and markets in France refined vegetable oils for human nutrition, protein-rich oilseed meal for animal nutrition, biodiesel under the Diester® brand for incorporation into petroleum diesel, and the vegetable glycerine used by numerous industries.

Sanders

France's leader in animal nutrition, Sanders contributes a whole range of responses to the expectations and needs of all companies in the animal product sectors. Sanders undertakes to keep its promise on a daily basis: to provide added value to livestock farmers, manufacturers, and consumers, while responding to societal and environmental concerns.

Sopral

For nearly 50 years, Sopral has been cultivating its expertise as a dog, cat and horse food manufacturer by providing innovative nutritional solutions, which it sells to professionals and specialist channels. Sopral notably possesses sophisticated expertise in the manufacture of dry extruded food for cats and dogs under the Pro-Nutrition Flatazor brand, and high-quality flaked horse feed under the Dynavena brand.

Terrial

A specialist in fertilisers and the development of organic by-products, Terrial enables farmers to limit the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides while improving the qualitative criteria of products.

Theseo

Theseo designs, produces and markets products and services for hygiene in buildings and animals, breeding equipment and water treatment. Thanks to its RDI department and external business development partners, Theseo deploys innovative solutions within and outside France to improve health security, animal well-being and the performance of all kinds of livestock farms.